COMMENT
The Dangers Of Moving Home

By Alison Hunt (TMFAlly)
July 20, 2005

Moving home is a stressful time. We all know what a nightmare it is, trying to jam all of your belongings into the removal van and packing always takes twice as long as you think it will! It's therefore not surprising that some things get forgotten about.

A recent study carried out by Experian's identity protection service CreditExpert found that some surprising things have been left behind by absent minded movers. Items including paintings worth £5,000, a tailor's dummy; an antique dinner service and even a pet goat have been discovered by new home owners. My favourite, however, was 20 foot of unexpected garden?!

Unfortunately, however, there's a more worrying side to this forgetfulness. Experian has identified moving home to be a key event which puts us at risk from one of the fastest growing crimes in the UK - identity theft. It states that around 43% of identity theft cases have occurred at a previous address.

Obviously, our address is a hugely important factor when we apply for credit or official documentation such as passports and driving licenses. However, 24% of us choose not to set up a Post Office redirection for our mail when we move. And although we can aim to quickly advise our banks and other companies used of our change of address, it is inevitable that some will slip through the net. Personal documents could continue to be sent to our old home, leaving us open to the possibility of identity theft.

I'm sure most of us have received some items of post in the past addressed to previous residents. If you've ever lived in rented student accommodation you'll know that receiving mail for previous occupants is pretty much the 'norm'. And although much of this mail received is probably junk mail, Experian's study found that over a third of those asked had received a credit card promotion or application form addressed to a former resident, over 14% had received a bank statement, 11% a utility bill, and nearly 5% had received an official document such as a passport!

So what can we do to prevent criminals from obtaining enough personal information about us when we move home to be able to apply for credit in our name?

Experian gives the following tips:

• Re-direct your post as soon as you move. You can do this through the Post Office's Redirection service. This can be set up for any time between one month and two years, and it's worth bearing in mind that as many companies send out annual statements, re-directing your post for at least a year may be wise.
  
  
• Inform all banks, credit card companies and financial institutions of your new address. Ensure they update their systems. It's worth making a list of every company you deal with and try to tick them off, once updated, one by one. And if new, re-directed post arrives, make sure you inform that company of your new address, too.
  
  
• Buy a shredder. Ensure that any personal documentation is shredded before disposal, and that means those credit card receipts, too.
  
  
• Register with the Mailing Preference Service at your old (and new) address. This free service can remove your name and address from Direct Mailing Lists, preventing unwanted commercial mailings being sent to your home. You can also ask for your name to be removed from the editied electoral roll, so that it's not sold onto third parties.
  
  
• Check your credit report regularly. It is generally recommended that we each apply for our credit report every six months to check that no fraudulent applications for credit have been made in our name. This isn't expensive, a credit report can be obtained by post from Experian, Equifax or CreditExpert from just £2. All you need to do is fill out the forms, in particular stating your addresses for the past six years. However, if you'd prefer not to have to re-apply every six months, Experian's CreditExpert may suit you better. This online, credit monitoring service allows you unlimited access to your credit details and will even send you an email or text alert should a suspected fraudulent application for credit be made in your name. CreditExpert costs £49.99 per year, but you can try it out for free, for 30 days.

I would also add that you should ensure that you close all old, unused bank accounts and credit cards and obtain written confirmation of closure. Earlier this year I, too, became a victim of fraud as an old, unused account I'd been meaning to close for years had two mysterious direct debits set up on it through which fraudsters were happily helping themselves (and putting me into unauthorised overdraft)!

I know many people who have been meaning to apply for their credit report, but simply never get round to it. Filling out the form can be time consuming, especially if you've moved regularly. Unfortunately, it's been estimated that it takes, on average, 18 months for an individual to realise that he or she has been the victim of identity theft, during which time a fair amount of damage could be caused. Don't wait to become another statistic, keep on top of your affairs and apply for that copy of your credit report, today!

Find out more, or apply for a free trial of Experian's CreditExpert in our Get out of Debt Centre.